A review of the distribution and host plant associations of the platypodine ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) of Australia, with an electronic species identification key

Bickerstaff, James R. M.; Smith, Shannon S.; Kent, Deborah S.; Beaver, R. A.; Seago, Ainsley E.; Riegler, Markus

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4894.1.3

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Most platypodine species only infest freshly dead or dying trees [ 27 ]. E. parallelus is one of the few species that can successfully colonize live trees [ 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus to Semiochemicals

Cui

Zhou

Wang

et al. 2023

IJMS

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Euplatypus parallelus is one of the dominant rubber bark beetle species in Hainan’s rubber-planting area. Semiochemicals, including the volatiles found in rubber trees and aggregation pheromones, play an important role in the search for suitable host plants. To examine the possible functional role of highly expressed odorant-binding protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus (EparOBP2) in the semiochemical recognition process, we cloned and analyzed the cDNA sequence of EparOBP2. The results showed that EparOBP2 contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 393 bp that encodes 130 amino acids, including a 21-amino-acid residue signal peptide at the N-terminus. The matured EparOBP2 protein consists of seven α-helices, creating an open binding pocket and three disulfide bridges. The results of the fluorescence binding assay showed that EparOBP2 had high binding ability with α-pinene and myrcene. The docking results confirmed that the interactions of α-pinene and myrcene with EparOBP2 were primarily achieved through hydrophobic interactions. This study provides evidence that EparOBP2 may be involved in the chemoreception of semiochemicals and that it can successfully contribute to the integrated management of E. parallelus.

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“…Most platypodine species only infest freshly dead or dying trees [ 27 ]. E. parallelus is one of the few species that can successfully colonize live trees [ 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus to Semiochemicals

Cui

Zhou

Wang

et al. 2023

IJMS

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“…P. apicalis is included within a morphological key to Australian Platypodinae which is available online (Bickerstaff et al, 2019 ). Adults are dark brown, the basal segment of the antennae, metathorax and upper parts of legs are yellow (Chapuis, 1865 ).…”

Section: Pest Categorisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brockerhoff et al ( 2003 ) were uncertain as to whether P. apicalis occurred in Australia. Bickerstaff et al ( 2020 ) noted that findings of P. apicalis in Australia had only been collected at or near ports of entry and suggested that they should be regarded as intercepted specimens rather than established populations. EPPO ( 2020 ) reports that P. apicalis is not known to have been introduced to new areas.…”

Section: Pest Categorisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pest categorisation of Platypus apicalis

Bragard¹,

Baptista²,

Chatzivassiliou³

et al. 2022

EFS2

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The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Platypus apicalis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae), an ambrosia beetle, also known as a pinhole borer, for the EU territory. P. apicalis is a polyphagous pest native to New Zealand. The majority of its life cycle is spent inside tree wood, but it does not directly feed on plant tissue, instead larvae and adults feed on a symbiotic fungus ( Sporothrix nothofagi which is pathogenic to Nothofagus spp.) vectored by adults and introduced when they bore tunnels into the host. P. apicalis feeds within a wide range of live, often stressed trees, in dead or dying hardwood and softwood trees, and fallen or felled trees. Successful reproduction can occur inside a number of living tree species including Castanea sativa, Pinus spp. and Ulmus spp. P. apicalis is not known to have established outside of New Zealand although findings have been reported in Australia. Whilst there are no records of interceptions of this species in the EU, platypodines are intercepted with solid wood packing material (SWPM) and Platypus species, but not P. apicalis , have been intercepted with wooden logs in Japan. Host plants for planting also provide a potential pathway. Hosts are grown widely across the EU in areas with climates comparable to those in New Zealand where the pest occurs suggesting that conditions in the EU are suitable for its establishment. If introduced into the EU, adults could disperse naturally by flight, perhaps tens or hundreds of metres. The movement of infested wood and host plants for planting within the EU could facilitate spread. Economic impacts in forestry and timber industries would result from the galleries created by P. apicalis and from wood staining caused by the symbiotic fungus. Phytosanitary measures are available to inhibit the entry of P. apicalis . P. apicalis satisfies the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.

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Social family structure and biogeography contribute to genomic divergence and cryptic speciation in the only eusocial beetle species,Austroplatypus incompertus(Curculionidae: Platypodinae)

Bickerstaff,

Jordal,

Riegler

2024

Preprint

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Eusociality in insects has arisen multiple times independently in Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants), Blattodea (termites) and Coleoptera (beetles). In Hymenoptera and Blattodea, the evolution of eusociality led to massive species proliferation. In the hyperdiverse Coleoptera, eusociality evolved only once, in the ancient Australian ambrosia beetle species Austroplatypus incompertus (Curculionidae: Platypodinae). This species occurs in mesic eucalypt forests of eastern Australia, from Victoria to northern New South Wales. Based on few individuals collected from the southern and northern edges of the species distribution it was initially described as two distinct species; however, the names were later synonymised as no morphological differences were found in analyses of more specimens. Recent mitochondrial haplotype analyses revealed substantial latitudinal divergence across the distribution of A. incompertus. To address this apparent disparity between morphological and molecular data, we sequenced and analysed a SNP panel of over 6,656 biallelic markers from 187 individuals of 11 sites across 1000 km of this species range. Our data indicate that eusocial demographic processes such as low colony establishment success rate, limited dispersal and reliance on few reproductive individuals, together with substantial habitat fragmentation contributed to the population genetic structure of this species. We further identified that the Hunter Valley biogeographic barrier split the species into two distinct clades, with both clades in secondary close contact on the Barrington Tops plateau without any discernible admixture. Our results support the resurrection of a second species of Austroplatypus which has important consequences for the evolution eusociality in Coleoptera and the systematics of Platypodinae.

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A review of the distribution and host plant associations of the platypodine ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) of Australia, with an electronic species identification key

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus to Semiochemicals

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus to Semiochemicals

Pest categorisation of Platypus apicalis

Social family structure and biogeography contribute to genomic divergence and cryptic speciation in the only eusocial beetle species,Austroplatypus incompertus(Curculionidae: Platypodinae)

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